1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mobile communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to mobile commerce and entertainment.
2. Background Art
One of the great conveniences of modern life is the ability to engage in electronic commerce (e-commerce) to pay for goods and services without the need to use a tangible payment medium such as cash. Increasingly, that convenience can now be enjoyed by people on the move, due to the inclusion of integrated circuit (IC) devices or chips, also called “smart chips” or “smart cards,” in the design of many mobile communication devices, for example, mobile telephones and personal data assistants (PDAs). Those smart chip equipped mobile communication devices can be used like electronic wallets to buy a product, reserve a ticket to an entertainment event, or gain access to a transportation system requiring purchase of tokens or travel credits, for example.
While the ability to engage in e-commerce represents one way in which life may be easier and more convenient today, other aspects of contemporary living are less benign. For example, one of the many tyrannies faced by modern urban and suburban dwellers is the consumption of so much of their precious time, waiting. To travel by air, for example, they are compelled by enhanced security constraints to arrive much earlier at an airport than their flight departure time requires, where they wait to board and also wait on the flight to reach their destination. As commuters to and from work or school, they may board a bus, subway, or train, where they wait to board and arrive at their destination. An unfortunate outcome of this quotidian and seemingly interminable waiting is that when travelers or commuters finally arrive at their destinations, they may be so bored, or tired, or frustrated as to be less creative and productive in their occupational activities, or less apt to interact constructively with colleagues, than might otherwise be the case.
One potential source of relief from the stultifying monotony of frequent waiting is provided by the diversion available through use of the same mobile devices increasingly being used to pay for the services imposing the delays. The user of a mobile telephone or PDA, for example, may utilize those devices not only to pay for a commuter train ticket, but to access entertainment and information during their commute, turning what might otherwise be barren periods of boredom or frustration into periods of enjoyable distraction or even intellectual stimulation. Although this source of mental diversion and refreshment is available in principle, at the present time a mobile device user must actively seek out the diversionary content, something that they may be unlikely to do because gaining access to that content may be complicated, expensive, or simply unfamiliar or unavailable. As a result, many modern commuters and others may be experiencing unnecessary fatigue, stress, and vexation, due to their failure to access sources of diversion during waiting intervals.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing informative or entertaining multimedia content to a mobile device user encountering a wait, that does not require the mobile device user to actively seek out presentation content, and is capable of alleviating some of the negative psycho/social consequences of enduring a waiting period.